Victims
by xo-charmedfan-xo
Summary: BonesNumb3rs crossover. What if it was Brennan and Megan buried alive? What would happen? I used most of the transcript from Aliens In A Spaceship, but edited it alot and added scenes. DonMegan minor AngelaHodgins. Disclaimer: I don't own Numb3rs or Bones
1. Chapter 1

Megan awoke to the agonizing pain in her left leg. Groggily opening her eyes, she looked around at her surroundings. "What the hell?"

_A back seat. _Sitting up a little, Megan groaned in pain. _I'm in a backseat of a car. But why? How the hell did I get in here? _Megan then noticed that she wasn't the only one in the car. Sitting in the front seat was a short-haired brunette woman, in her thirties, whom Megan recognized as Dr. Brennan.

Megan tried to remember the events before she was put in a car with her.

* * *

48 hours earlier... 

Booth and Brennan stepped out of the jeep and walked over to the crime scene, where people were gathered all around, talking to policemen.

"My superiors say to let you look at the flying saucer." A sheriff said to them as they crossed the yellow tape.

Brennan shook her head. "It's not a flying saucer."

"Well, it sure looks like one." The sheriff pointed to some kids." Some kids were dirt biking, and said that they saw something shiny in the ground. They dug it up, and looked into the window to see aliens."

"Did you look?" Brennan asked.

He nodded. "Yes ma'am... then I called for backup."

"Why?" Booth wondered.

"On the account of..." He trailed off. "Well, they're aliens."

They all looked at the mysterious ship that was laying in the dirt. The sheriff walked away and Brennan walked up to the object's window, wiping off the extra dirt. After gazing at it for a moment, she looked back at Booth. "Alright... do you wanna take a look?"

Booth nodded and walked up to the object and peered over Brennan's shoulder to get a good look inside. "Oh god." Inside the ship were two skeletons, each with red and black shirts on, clinging on to each other. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Yes, as long as you think that they're two adolescent human males." Brennan said, looking back at Booth.

"How long?" Booth asked.

"The amount of dehydrated tissue suggests the tank is sealed and intact... years." Brennan said.

Booth sighed. "Two kids, huh? I liked it better when they were aliens."

* * *

"Don, we got a case." Colby said, walking into the room. 

"Already?"

Colby nodded in response, and handed Don the folder. "A beer-vat was dug up at a park in Washington D.C., with two sets of human adolescent male skeletons in it. They want us to work with a team from the Jeffersonian and some FBI agents there."

"Why us?" Don asked.

"Don't know." Colby said, shrugging. "The director just said that he wanted us to go and check it out. He got us plane tickets... we're leaving in two hours."

As Colby left, Megan and David entered the room. Don turned to them, and showed them the folder, which Megan examined first. "We're going to Washington D.C.?"

Don nodded. "Yep... two male skeletons were found in a beer-vat. They wanted FBI Agents on the case, so they chose us."

David stared at the picture of the skeletons. "It's so weird... they look just like aliens or something." Megan and Don just stared at him. "Just saying."

* * *

"One set of remains show trauma to the legs, compound fractures, and his pelvis is broken in three places. The other was virtually untouched." Zach said, pointing to the bones that he was explaining. 

"Cause of death?" Brennan asked.

"The amount of blood suggests that at least one of them bled out... probably the one with the injuries." Zach said. "I've also noted a constellation of identical non metric variants. Extra foramina."

Brennan's eyes grew wide and Booth walked up to them, approaching the platform. "Does that mean that they were twins?"

"How did you know?" Brennan asked.

Pulling out a picture, Booth showed it to the two. "Matthew and Ryan Kent, kidnapped October 31, 2001. No one has seen them since."

"Brennan, Booth, we have the FBI team that the director requested." Angela said, leading three men and a woman with Cam and Hodgins walking right next to her.

Angela scanned her card, allowing everyone to walk up to the platform where Booth, Brennan and Zach were standing.

"Booth, Brennan, this is Agents Eppes, Sinclair, Reeves and Granger." Cam said, pointing to each one as she said their names.

Brennan smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to be here." Don said.

"Anyone want to fill us in on what the case is?" Colby asked.

Booth nodded and showed them the picture, which Megan and Don examined together. "The two boys in the beervat were positively identified as Matthew and Ryan Kent. They were kidnapped on October 31, 2001, and no one has seen them since."

Don noticed that Megan had a surprised look on her face. "What is it, Megan?"

"I've seen this case before... when I was in L.A." Megan told everyone, still staring at the picture.

Brennan looked confused. "Why was the file in L.A.?"

"I think it was a copy." Megan sighed. "They never closed that file, though. I'm not really sure if the file closed here."

"Well, I guess we'll find that out soon enough." Booth said. "They want us to meet with the parents, and the other agents that were working on the case."

* * *

"The remains in the beer-vat have been positively identified as Matthew and Ryan Kent." Brennan said, showing a man and a woman the photos. 

Booth and Brennan were sitting in the Jeffersonian Conference Room, along with a man, a woman, Don and Megan.

"Oh god." The man said.

The woman sighed, looking at him. "Hey, come on Peter... at least it's better than not knowing."

"Agent Sanders, you were assigned to the Kent kidnapping?" Brennan asked. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Uh, Mr. Sanders... I uh, retired from the FBI to pursue a career in general contracting." He said. "Uh, when I'm sober... uh, Kim here was the Assistant United States Attorney attached to the case."

Kim nodded. "Still attached... the file's still open. The boys were snatched after a drinking party."

Megan glanced at Don before looking back at Kim. "Was the ransom paid?"

Agent Sanders looked at Kim. "As the dually sworn representative of the FBI, I advised Mr. Kent not to pay the ransom. Unfortunately, the Kent's listened to me and not the K&R guy, and uh... now their sons are dead."

Brennan had a confused look on her face. "K&R?"

"It's the kidnap and ransom experts." Megan explained.

"The Kent boys were the Gravedigger's third victims." Kim said.

"Third of the six that we know of." Agent Sanders said. "Uh... all together, four payed the ransom and lived."

Don sighed. "And the other one that didn't?"

Kim shook her head. "Never found him."

"That's why they call him the Gravedigger." Agent Sanders explained. "Uh, he takes people... and he buries them. You pay the ransom, he tells you how and where to dig them up. You don't, and uh... you never see them again." Everyone just stared at him. "You won't catch him."

"With all due respect, Agent Sanders, we have the beer-vat and the human remains." Don said.

"What are two dead bodies going to tell you that four live victims couldn't?" Kim asked.

Booth smiled. "Dr. Brennan, she's uh, pretty good at making dead people tell her things."

"Look... my advice, talk to the K&R guy." Agent Sanders said to them.

"Kidnap and ransom expert Thomas Vega." Kim pulled out a book. "Former FBI... he literally wrote the book on the Gravedigger."

* * *

Brennan, Megan, Booth and David were in another Conference Room with Thomas Vega and another woman. 

"I became a kidnap and ransom specialist after I realized that the bureau's policy on non-payment to kidnappers is antiquated and dangerous."

"You've dealt with the Gravedigger how many times?" Megan asked them.

The woman looked at her. "In total... five."

"Janine is a journalist, she helped me write the book on the Gravedigger." Thomas informed them. "Next to me, she's the ranking expert on that son of a bitch."

This comment caused Janine to smile.

"Journalist, huh?" Booth asked, suspicious.

"Don't be like that, Agent Booth." Janine said, smiling, then turned to the others. "The Gravedigger is totally consistent... no one ever sees the victim taken, the ransom demand is made using a digitally altered voice. The time limit is given. There's never a second call." She sighed. "As soon as the ransom is payed to a numbered untraceable account in the Caribbean, Jamaica, excetera, the GPS coordinates are provided, leading to the victim."

"None of the surviving victims remember anything before they were taken?" Brennan asked.

Janine shook her head. "Nothing... burn marks on the back of the neck suggest the use of a stun gun or a cattle-prod."

"Whenever you try to trace the container that you found the boys in, well, you'll reach a dead end." Thomas told them. "He gets everything from landfills or cash auctions."

"Is there a last chance to pay up?" David asked.

Thomas shook his head. "Never."

"You know, most kidnappers are caught because they negotiate for the ransom." Janine explained. "The Gravedigger simply won't play."

"Really not looking to help you write another book, you know... Capturing the Gravedigger." Booth joked.

"Agent Booth, I have seen what the Gravedigger does to families... up close. You know what, dislike me as much as you want... but I'm still gonna help you because I want this bastard caught." Thomas said, and walked away with Janine right behind him.

Brennan looked over at Booth. "You were kind of mean to him."

Booth set the book down on the table. "Yeah... thanks."


	2. Chapter 2

Brennan and Zack were working on the bones, while Don and Colby were standing there, waiting for some information.

"Zach, did you catalog this anomaly between C1 and C2 on Matthew?" Brennan asked, peering into a microscope.

"Yes, if you increase magnification on the atlanto-axail joint, you'll see calcining on the articular process." Zach said.

"Huh?" Don asked, obviously very confused with what Zach was saying.

Brennan walked over to the computer. "Bone burn."

Zach nodded his head. "Yes, over three hundred degrees."

"A stun gun." Brennan realized. "Does the same mark appear on Ryan?"

Zach shook his head. "No."

"Okay." She turned away from the computer and to Don and Colby. "Do you think that you can get the FBI to send you photos and medical exam results of the Gravedigger's victims? To see if he uses the same stun gun every time?"

"Sure." Colby said, and he and Don walked away.

Hodgins passed them and walked up to Bones. "Aluminum."

"Aluminum?" Brennan and Zach asked at the same time, both surprised.

"Magninese alloid." He handed Brennan a folder. "Strained-hardened and stabilized. Traces on both sets of clothing."

Bones scanned the folder. "From the vat?"

Hodgins shook his head. "No... the inside of the vat is pure copper. Both of the boys' clothing was stained with a sooty residue of lead and carbon, benzene and adlehydes."

"Engine exhaust." Zach realized.

"Yeah." Hodgins nodded. "Particulates from lots of engines... both gasoline and diesel."

Brennan stayed silent for a second. "Parking lot?"

"Underground, probably. That's where the Gravedigger grabs his victims." Hodgins said.

Brennan sighed. "Compare your findings with the results found on the clothing of the surviving victims. See if they share anything in common. And measure oxegyn volume in the vat... find out how long the twins survived."

Hodgins nodded. "I'll get right on it."

* * *

"Mr. Kent, I'd like to start by expressing the Justice Department's sincere condolences for the deaths of your sons, Matthew and Ryan." Kim said, a sad look on her face. 

She, along with Brennan, David, Megan, Mr. Kent and Thomas were in the conference room, discussing the case.

Mr. Kent glared at her. "If I had ignored the Justice Department and listened to Mr. Vega here, payed the two million, my boys would still be alive today."

"Sir, I understand your feelings towards the FBI-" Colby began.

Mr. Kent shook his head. "I doubt that."

"Jim, Agent Granger here is investigating your sons' murders here, along with Agent Reeves and three others." Thomas explained. "You know my problems with the FBI's approach to kidnappings, but when it comes to finding killers... you want these people on your side."

Mr. Kent paused before saying, "Ryan and Mattie were spoiled... I know, they uh... they partied, they chased girls, they um... they got expelled from school."

A ring came from Brennan's phone, and she looked to see that there was a text message from Hodgins, that read, 'Victims did not have 24 hours of air, only 12 max, Hodgins.'

Mr. Kent continued by saying, "But they weren't bad kids." Brennan carefully maneuvered the phone so that Megan and Colby could read it. "And there's no way that they deserved... suffocation. Is it... painful?"

"It's like falling asleep." Megan stated, and sighed.

"Mr. Kent, the Gravedigger lied to you and the FBI." Brennan said, and Thomas immediately sat up straight in his chair, wanting to hear more.

Everyone looked at her, while Thomas shook his head. "That's unlikely... he doesn't play games."

"Mr. Kent, is there any way you could have put together the ransom in twelve hours?" Colby asked.

Mr. Kent scoffed. "No way in the world."

"Which is exactly why the Gravedigger provided Mr. Kent with twenty-four hours." Thomas said.

Megan shook her head. "Your sons only had enough air for twelve hours."

"Oh my god." Mr. Kent said.

Megan continued. "Even if you had ignored the FBI and listened to Mr. Vega... you still wouldn't have been able to save your sons."

"You're backstopping the bureau." Thomas accused her, getting angry.

"There were two of them in that vat... they used up the oxegyn twice as fast." Brennan explained. "The Gravedigger miscalculated."

Thomas shook his head. "No, he doesn't do that."

"Then it was never his intention that these boys survive." Megan shot back.

"He just didn't care, Mr. Kent." Colby said, trying to be sympathetic at the same time.

Mr. Kent crinkled his nose in confusion. "So, my decision to listen to the FBI... to not pay the ransom-"

Brennan cut him off. "If you had paid the ransom, your sons still would have been dead by the time you got to them."

"There was nothing you could have done, Mr. Kent." Colby told him. "You are in no way responsible for for the death of your sons."

* * *

Brennan was in the passenger's seat of Booth's car. "Had it occured to you that God is alot like the Gravedigger?" 

Booth just looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"He lays down the rules, no way to question him or negotiate... then it's like he almost doesn't care how it turns out. Either you do as he says, make some sacrifices and they're delivered, or... you don't, and you end up in hell." Brennan rambled.

"You know what, I would appreciate if you didn't say things like that... because I really don't want to be struck by lightning." Booth told her, a little aggrivated.

"You go to church every Sunday." Brennan guessed.

Booth nodded his head. "Yes I do."

"Can I come with you?" Brennan asked.

"No, you can't." Booth objected.

Brennan looked at him incredously. "Why not? It might help me to understand-"

Booth interrupted her by saying, "I am not going to help you disrespect God in his own house. Hey, if you wanna do some anthropological study, then turn on the religious channel."

* * *

Megan sighed, and rubbed her face with her hands. "I don't get it... why would this happen to Matthew and Ryan?" 

She, Don, David and Colby were sitting in an office in the Jeffersonian.

Don looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"The Gravedigger lets his victims survive. I mean... he gives them a chance to... if someone pays the ransom, the victim lives. But he obviously had no intention of letting these boys survive, since Mr. Kent couldn't put the ransom money together in time. It just doesn't make any sense."

They all sat there in silence, thinking.

* * *

Kim watched as Booth opened a coffin, before closing it. "Each of these contained one of the Gravedigger's victims." 

Booth raised his eyebrows. "Cozy."

Hodgins, Brennan, Booth and Don were all standing there in the Jeffersonian Medical Lab, staring at the coffins.

"We also provided your people with the clothes each victim was wearing." Kim added.

"Regarding the clothing." Hodgins said. "Everyone of them shows traces of aluminum and sooty residue."

"We know that each victim was taken from an underground garage." Brennan added. "Beyond the reach of security cameras."

"The typical kidnap for ransom profile was middle aged, in a job that's beneath him." Kim explained.

Booth sighed. "Smart guy who's an underachiever and someone who enjoys control over somebody else's life. There's just one problem."

"And what's that?"

Booth looked at the coffins once again. "See, there's nothing typical about this guy... don't expect him to fit the profile."

* * *

In the Angelator Room, Angela, Booth, Brennan, Megan and Don were staring at the picture that was starting to form in the Angelator. 

"Okay." Angela began. "The dimensions of the vat. Six feet wide by eight feet tall, make it impossible for Matthew Kent to have fractured his brother's pelvis."

Megan and Don were staring in awe of the 3D picture that came up. "Wow... that's amazing. Did you creat this?" Megan asked Angela.

Angela smiled. "Yeah."

"So... even if Matthew knocked Ryan down and... you know... stomped on him?" Booth asked.

"Cam and I agree... The fracture was a result of one, hard blow." Brennan said as a scenario was recreated on the Angelator. "A break like that would require a lot more force then Matthew could've generated."

Don scratched his head as he stared at the image on the Angelator. "Alright, so you're saying that Ryan was injured before he went into the beervat."

Brennan nodded. "Yes. But the amount of blood on the floor, can't be explained by his injuries alone." She looked over at Megan, who looked like she was concentrating on something. "What?"

"It was a mistake." Megan realized.

"What was?" Angela asked.

Megan set her hands firmly down on the side of the Angelator. "Look... he intended to take one boy but he ended up with two."

Don nodded, realizing what she was saying. "That's why they died twelve hours ahead of schedule."

She continued what she was telling the group. "If he intended to take two boys, he would'v put them in a container twice as big. Alright... the Gravedigger, he messed up. He snuck up on Matthew, knocked him unconscious, and Ryan shows up... he fights the guy."

"No, not fight." Brennan said, smiling.

Angela was getting what Brennan was going to say. "The leg damage, the fractured pelvis..."

"These injuries are classic human versus car." Brennan told them.

Megan nodded. "Ryan interrupts the kidnapping of his brother, and the Gravedigger runs him down."

Booth turned to Brennan. "It was a mistake. You see, Bones, the Gravedigger is not God... because God doesn't make mistakes."


	3. Chapter 3

In the Jeffersonian Medico Platform, Zack, Megan and Angela were standing there, with Zack holding a stun gun against a piece of raw meat.

Shocking the meat, he peeled a layer of meat off, and sighed. "Commercial stun gun. 625,000 volts... still not enough."

Angela scoffed. "Well, it sounds like alot of bolts."

"Actually, its the amperage that does the real damage." Zack explained to her and Megan. "But still, I've checked every commercial stun gun I can find and none of them generate the right amount of power fo make those distinctive marks on the bone."

"Well, what about a cattle prod?" Megan asked.

Zack shook his head. "Stun guns generate alot more powr than cattle prods."

"You haven't figured out the stun gun, then I am this weeks King of the Lab, cause I found something huge." Hodgins announced, entering the room.

Angela stifled a laugh, as did Megan. "You compete to be King of the Lab?"

Hodgins looked at Angela, embarassed. "No... hey, Angela... I, I didn't know that... you were... this sucks. I'm gonna go, catch Brennan then bolt for the night."

"She just left." Megan said to him. "I'll come with you... I need to talk to her about some things anyways."

She and Hodgins walked out, but Angela called out, "Hey, Jack." He looked back, and walked back in, with Megan waiting for him outside. "Could you stop being so weird? Please? It's making me very uncomfortable."

Hodgins just sighed, and left with Megan.

"You should give him a chance." Zack said to her.

Angela turned around, and scoffed, giving him a look. "Excuse me?"

Zack immediately turned back to what he was doing. "I apologize... I didn't say anything.

"Mmhmm." She said, grinning.

* * *

Walking over to the elevators, Hodgins said, "Oh no, I forgot some things. Hey, Megan, do you mind running these down to Dr. Brennan for me?" 

Megan nodded, and took the folder into her hands. "Um... where is she?"

"Oh... she's in the underground garage." He told her. "Do you know where that is?"

Megan nodded once again. "Yeah."

* * *

Brennan walked over to her silver car, knowing that she would be late for her class if she didn't hurry up. Searching in her jacket for her car keys, she suddenly saw a figure in the car window, and was about to scream, but was sent into unconsciousness by a shock at the neck. 

As Megan entered the garage, she saw a figure lying on the ground, and saw that it was Brennan. She began to run over to her. "Dr. Brennan... Dr. Brennan?!" Just as she was about to reach Brennan's body, she stopped as she heard a loud car honk blaring into her ears. Turning around, she saw a car coming right at her, and was about to move out of the way, but it was too late.

Megan's body came into contact with the mysterious car, and her body fell to the floor in a heap, right next to Brennan's.

* * *

In the Conference Room in the Jeffersonian, David, Don and Colby were sitting there. 

"Hey... where's Megan?" Don asked Colby and David, who shrugged.

"She's probably with Dr. Brennan or something." Colby answered, tapping his fingers on the table's hard surface.

Don's phone suddenly rang, and he answered it. "Don Eppes."

"You know, she's been hanging around them way too long... do you think she likes them more than us?" Colby wondered.

"Man, get real." David said, laughing.

Colby suddenly looked at Don, who was still on the phone, listening to the person on the other line. Don's face expression was pure horror.

"What's wrong Don?" David asked.

Don hung up, and sighed heavily. "It's Megan... she's been kidnapped and held ransom with Dr. Brennan."

"Wh-What?" David stuttered.

Colby sighed. "For how much?"

Don looked at them with a grave look. "Eight million dollars."

* * *

At the Royal Diner, Booth and Cam were eating dinner. 

"What do you say we go to New York for the weekend?" Cam asked Booth, smiling.

Booth sighed. "Yeah, I don't know-"

Cam interrupted him. "Come on! We're two adults with no obligations." Booth's phone suddenly rang. "Let it go to voicemail... we're not cheating. We're not hurting anybody, Seeley."

"Then why are we keeping our relationship such a secret, Camille?" Booth asked her.

Cam leaned back into the chair. "Because we work together and we're professionals and it's nobody's business. That's all... so, come to New York. We'll go to a musical."

Booth laughed. "Talking and singing and talking and dancing and more singing." He pulled out his phone to check the new message that he now had. "You know, if you want to stop what we're doing, just say so."

"You can fantasize about pulling out your gun and shooting everyone on stage. You know you like that." She said to him as he put his phone to his ear, checking the message. "Seriously, we'll do something you like. Like, climbing outside of the Empire State building or swimming the East River, or-" She suddenly saw the panic in Booth's eyes. "What? What happened?"

Booth turned on the phone's speaker, and played back the voicemail that he just listened to. "Megan Reeves and Temperance Brennan have been buried alive. Wire transfer eight million dollars to the following Grand Cayman account or they will suffocate to death."

It was the Gravedigger.


	4. Chapter 4

In the Department of Justice's Conference Room, Don, David, Colby, Brennan and Booth sat there with Tom, Kim and Janine, all listening to the message from the Gravedigger. "Upon receipt of the wire transfer, I will provide you Brennan and Hodgins GPS Coordinates. This will be my last communication."

Thomas nodded. "It will be his last communication too. He's never varied."

"You learn from the Kent boys." Kim said. "He's got two of them, he cut the deadline in half."

Don sighed. "Why is The Grave Digger demanding so much money? It's doesn't make any sense."

Janine shrugged. "Well, he's always been reasonable at knowing how much people can raise within the time limit."

"Has... uh... Dr. Brennan made that much money from her books?" Thomas asked Booth.

Booth shrugged. "I don't think so... but why would he demand so much money if-"

"It's Megan." Don suddenly said.

"What?" David asked, confused.

Don sighed. "She's the soul heir to The Cantilever Group."

"What's that?" Thomas wondered.

"Just the third largest privately owned corporation in the country." Colby explained.

Booth glared at Thomas. "Make sense now, Tom?"

* * *

Brennan sat in the front of the car, while Megan still sat in the back of the car. "I was on my way to karate class, so we have lots of bottled water." 

"What happened?" Megan asked, her breathing hitched from the pain. "Where are we?"

Brennan shrugged. "Last thing I remember is being at the lab."

"I'm really confused, what happened to my legs?" Megan looked at Brennan. "Where are we?"

"Underground. Buried. I have a burn." Brennan pulled her hair back, showing Megan the two red marks.

Megan nodded. "Zack was trying to figure out what kind of stun gun..."

Brennan looked around the car. "It has to be the Gravedigger. I think he ran you down with his car, and then pumped you full of drugs to ruin your short term memory... same as Ryan Kent."

Megan began to get worried. "How long have we been down here?"

"Um." Brennan looked at her watch. "It would be... 2 hours... I think."

"Okay, so this vehicle is 6… 60 by 60 cubic feet of air, uh, it's just 20 percent oxygen... two people... my brain is not working." Megan said softly, trying to get the words together. "Man, I wish Charlie was here right now."

"Who's Charlie?" Brennan asked.

"A math genius... and also Don's brother." Megan answered.

Brennan nodded. "The Gravedigger is very consistent. If we started with 12 hours of air, we'll be unconscious in 10. After that if-if no one pays the ransom..."

Megan sighed. "We're dead."

* * *

At the Jeffersonian Medico Platform, the clock on the screen was counting down, reading 10:43:04. 

Cam sighed. "How the hell are we gonna get our hands on eight million dollars?"

"Megan is rich." Colby answered.

Cam looked surrpised. "She is?"

Don nodded. "'Rich squared to the power of ten times four' is how she described it when she told me."

Angela turned to Booth. "You're gonna pay the ransom, right?"

Booth nodded. "Yes... FBI standard ops, they won't work. The Gravedigger operates outside statistics."

"They'll fire you." Cam warned him.

Booth shrugged. "Ah, that's cool. One less reason to wear a suit."

"How did The Gravedigger catch Dr. Brennan and Megan together?" David asked them.

"Brennan was on her way to karate." Angela said.

"And Megan and Hodgins went to go find her because Hodgins said he found something huge." Zack added.

Hodgins sighed. "And I asked Megan to go find Brennan and tell her."

"And that's when they were caught." David finished.

* * *

The group entered the Jeffersonian Garage, and walked over to a section to find a bloody stain on the cement. 

Angela looked at it, disgusted. "Oh my god. Ohh, that's blood, isn't it?"

Don nodded. "And it'll turn out to be Megan's."

"Dr. Brennan doesn't like it when we jump to conclusions." Zack said to Don.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it, Zack." Cam told him. "We're on a deadline."

Colby sighed. Look... Megan interrupted the kidnapping, just like Ryan and Matthew. The Gravedigger must have run her over."

"God, what are we gonna do?" David asked.

"Well, it's a crime scene, alright. They'll look for tire tracks, and they'll check the security cameras." Booth pointed to Zack. "I need you to be Dr. Brennan."

Zack looked confused. "I don't know what that means."

Cam rolled her eyes. "It means, keep working the case."

Don nodded. "Alright... Hodgins, what were you going to tell Dr. Brennan?"

"I can't exactly remember... I'll go look at my notes." Hodgins told them.

"Well, what about me?" Angela asked.

"Call Bones' brother, Russ, and tell him what's going on." Booth told her, and he then turned to Don."You and me should go talk to the chairman of The Cantilever Group."

* * *

"We have water, towels, my mini kit, ibuprofen, two cell phones no batteries, a digital camera with a back up battery and uh, a handful of pens." Brennan said, pointing to each item as she called them out. 

"That one's a laser pointer." Megan told her, referring to one of the unidentified items.

"And uh, a copy of my novel." Brennan showed Megan the book.

Megan smiled. "Hey. We can read it to each other if we get bored."

Brennan smiled too and pulled perfume out of a dark blue velvet pouch. "Deep Rhapsody?"

"Careful with that. Don bought me that two weeks ago as a present... that's three grand a quarter ounce." Megan said, then made a face of pain.

"Yeah... I would be making that kind of face too if I spent three grand on perfume." Brennan told Megan, grinning.

Megan groaned. "Oh man. Some-Something... my leg."

Brennan opened up the bottle of ibuprofen. "Here... here." She opened up a bottle of water. "I'm worried that you have compartment syndrome."

Megan accepted the water bottle and pills from Brennan's hand, immediately downing them. "Is that terminal? I mean within the next few hours?"

Brennan shook her head. "No."

By the look on Brennan's face, Megan knew that there was something else. "But…"

"It's gonna get painful." Brennan said softly.

"More painful than now?" Megan asked, worried. The pain in her legs was already excruciating.

Brennan nodded and sighed. "Yeah... 'slip into shock and die' painful."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that." Megan told Brennan, laughing sadly.

"Actually, there is." Brennan said.

Megan's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm not gonna like this, am I."

Brennan shook her head. "No... you're not."


	5. Chapter 5

Cam glanced at the time remaining on the clock. 8:22:14.

She glanced over at Zack, and Colby, who was standing right next to them, asked, "What are you doing?"

Zack looked up at the confused agent, and then looked back at what he was doing. He once again had a stun gun in his hand, with the meat placed in front of him. "The Grave Digger modified a commercial stun gun to knock out his victims. I've figured out the voltage and amperage, but not how he modified it to boost the current." Zapping the piece of meat with the stun gun, it generated a shock. "Which will not help us find Dr. Brennan and Agent Reeves. I did figure out how Ryan Kent died, though."

Cam smiled. "Let's hear it!"

"He killed himself." Zack announced, and Cam and Colby both looked surprised. "He punctured his own carotid artery, which explains the amount of blood we found in the vat."

"How did-" Colby asked, but got interrupted by Zack.

"He used a pen. There's a nick on the inferior angle of the mandible. I don't know why he did it, I don't really do 'Why', I just do 'How'."

Cam nodded. "He did it to give his brother more air."

"So his twin would survive." Colby added.

"That's why we found them holding each other." Cam finished.

"How does that help?" Zack wondered.

"When we tell Mr. Kent that one of his son's gave his own life in an effort to save his brother, it'll mean something, Zack." Cam told him. "Just keep searching, okay?"

* * *

Underground, Megan still sat in the backseat, holding Brennan's book. She ripped out a page and began writing on it with one of the pens. When she finished, she folded it up, sticking it in her jean pocket. "Okay. I-I'm ready... I think." 

"What was that that you just wrote?" Brennan asked her.

Megan sighed. "A note... to Don. You know, just... just in case... that whatever you're gonna do to me sends me into shock, I-I might die. The upside? Me not breathing, you know, doubles your survival time in here until they rescue us."

Brennan shook her head. "I'm really not interested in surviving that way." She ran her finger down Megan's scarred leg, examining it once more. "What I'm going to do is make a long incision in the fascia."

"What?" Megan asked, confused.

"I'm going to make a long cut in your leg to release the pressure inside." Brennan explained.

Megan nodded in understandment. "And... how long is a LONG incision? Wait, you know what, don't tell me. I don't even think that I want to know."

Brennan sighed, bracing herself for what she was about to do. "It's best if I do it very fast and without empathy." Grabbing a nearby cloth, she handed it to Megan. "Here... I'm thinking that you have a very high pain tolerance, considering your work as an FBI Agent, but you'll still need something. So, you're going to scream, and this will muffle them."

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" Megan asked her, now getting worried.

Brennan nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Hang on to something and don't fight passing out."

She took out her pocket knife and flicked it open, holding it right next to Megan's wounded leg. Ready to make the incision, she brought it closer to the wound. she hold the knife next to his leg, ready to make the incision. Placing the gag in her mouth, Megan brought her hands up to the emergency handles in the car, gripping them tightly.

"You ready?" Brennan asked.

Megan nodded and Brennan lowered the knife onto Megan's skin, the cold metal blade touching her flesh. About to cut, Brennan noticed something stuck on Megan's leg, and immediately put the knife down.

Removing the gag from her mouth, Megan asked, "What is that?"

"Evidence of what happened to you." Brennan said. "Let's... let's worry about it later."

Megan grabbed Brennan's book and handed it to her. "Here, just put it in the pages of your book. If we get out of this, you can have Dr. Hodgins look at it later."

Placing the gag back in her mouth, tears began to form in her eyes as she mumbled something.

Brennan looked up at her. "It's best if you don't talk right now."

Megan spit the gag out of her mouth, causing it to land on her lap. "If... If I don't make it out of here, could... could you tell Don that... that I love him? I know that I wrote it in the note, but... it-it's just not the same." Megan tried to hold back the batch of tears that were coming. "When Don gave me that perfume, I realized that it says 'I Love You'. I just wanted to say it back."

Brennan smiled softly and watched as Megan once again put the gag back in her mouth, her hands gripping the handles tightly. As Brennan brought the knife down to the leg, she made the incision, blood pouring out of it, causing Megan to scream.

* * *

Don sat in the conference room, staring at the wall. _How... how could this have happened?_

Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around to see Colby standing there. "You okay, Don? It's not like you to hide out somewhere."

"Yeah... I'm okay." Colby gave him a look. "Okay, so I'm not okay. But what am I supposed to do? This isn't like a regular case... we know them... we know the victims." Colby nodded in agreement. "You know, it... it kind of brings me back to the time when Megan got kidnapped."

"Don... do you love her?" Colby wondered.

_Guess I'll have to tell somebody sometime. _"Yes... I do, okay?! I'm crazy in love with her. Ever since she got kidnapped, I haven't been able to stop thinking about her!" Don shouted, finding a chance to catch his breath. "There... I said it. I finally said it."

* * *

Angela walked up to Cam, who was talking to David. "How much time do we have left?" 

David looked over at the clock. "Five hours, nine minutes, thirty four seconds."

"Did you find Russ?" Cam asked her.

Angela nodded. "He's on a fishing trip with friends in the White Mountains. No phone, no cell service." Angea sighed. "You?"

"Well, I can't find Hodgins anywhere right now. He seems to write everything in some kind of code." Cam explained, staring at the journal.

Angela took the journal from Cam's hands and examined it. "It says... that the traces of aluminum found on the clothing were almost certainly from the kidnapper's vehicle. Like a box in the back of a trunk or a van."

David stared at her, surprised. "You can read that?"

Angela nodded. "Yeah, Hodgins, he sends me a lot of notes. How is this going to help us find them, though? We don't need evidence, we need eight million dollars."

* * *

Booth walked up to Cam, who was standing on the catwalk in the Jeffersonian. "I can't get the ransom together... not in time. The Cantilever Group has got this policy... no proof of life from the kidnapper, no ransom." 

Cam scoffed, surprised. "Not even for the boss?"

Booth sighed. "It was the rule that Agent Reeves made, and there's no exeptions. And, since she's not really there as much with her FBI job, she's been having her sisters help her out. I'd say we need more time, but The Gravedigger doesn't give us that... or proof of life."

"Booth, I don't think it's a coincidence that he took Brennan when he did." Cam said.

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I was kinda thinking the same thing."

* * *

Brennan sat in the front seat, car honks blaring. Megan woke up, startled. "Thank god I didn't kill you!" 

Megan nodded. "How long was I unconscious for?"

"For a while." Brennan answered, and kept on playing with the wires that were in her hands. "How's your leg?"

"Better... lots better." Megan glanced at the wires. "What are you doing?"

"Hotwiring the phone to the horn so we can send a message." Brennan explained.

Megan looked at her, confused. "You can do that from underground?"

Brennan nodded. "Yeah... we get radio reception. Direct current 12 volt will burn out the circuits in a 4.2 volt cell phone in a microsecond. Better jury-rig a resistor."

Megan raised her eyebrows. "Smart."

"It might work long enough to send a single burst transmission." Brennan told her.

"So, I'm guessing that translates to a 'very short text message'." Megan said. "If we send it, Don can trace it to a cell phone relay tower."

Brennan nodded. "Yep."

Megan sighed. "What message should we send? Goodbye? Nice to know ya?"

"What are we surrounded by?" Brennan suddenly asked.

"Pain... despair." Megan said.

"And dirt." Brennan added. "Maybe we can send a text message about the things were surrounded by, and maybe Hodgins will recognize it."

Megan suddenly slapped her forehead. "I am so stupid!"

"What?" Brennan asked her, confused.

Megan reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a cellphone. "I thought the Gravedigger would've taken it away. We can use it to communicate with Don and Agent Booth."

Brennan smiled. "Perfect."


	6. Chapter 6

"Alright." Brennan picked up a handful of dirt that was laying in the inside of the car. "If we're going to talk to Hodgins, we're going to have to find a way for him to examine this."

"Why would he have to examine it?" Megan asked.

"Because then he could tell us where we are." Brennan answered.

Megan looked surprised. "You can find that out by looking at dirt?"

Brennan nodded. "Yes."

"Do you have Dr. Hodgins' cell number?" Megan asked Brennan, who shook her head. "Well... we could try and call Don." Megan dialed his number, and waited a couple seconds before hearing a beeping sound. "Damn it... I have no service down here."

Brennan sighed in disappointment. "How are we going to reach them now? We have no means of communication, and we have no idea where we are."

"Well, on the bright side, at least we know that we're in Virginia." Megan said.

Brennan raised her eyebrows in surprise. "How do you know that?"

Megan picked up a little pile of dirt with her hand. "Ash." She spit on it." Hints of nitrogen and sulfur."

"That means that we're in Bituminous Coal country, or basically, Virginia." Brennan exclaimed. "Wow... I'm surprised that you know all of that. No offense, I mean, but... it just that you're a profiler, and they don't usually know these kinds of things."

Megan laughed. "Well, I've learned some things from Charlie. I've worked with him for a long time."

Brennan nodded. "Alright, well, we'll need more than knowing that we're in Virginia. Maybe you should try calling again."

Picking her phone up, she glanced at the screen, and her eyes widened as she noticed the two bars that were now showing. "I have service now!"

"Okay... call Agent Eppes or something, and then we can talk to Hodgins from there." Brennan said.

* * *

Don sat in the conference room, examining the pictures of the crime scene that sat on the table._Where are you, Megan?_

A beeping suddenly came from his pocket, and he pulled out his cellphone. Glancing at the screen, Don immediately sat up, seeing that it was Megan's phone. "Megan?"

Megan sighed in relief. "Don, thank god you picked up!"

Standing up, he left the conference room and began heading towards where the rest of the group was. "Wh-Where are you? Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine. Listen, I need you to give the phone to Dr. Hodgins. We need to talk to him." Megan said.

Don nodded. "Okay." He reached the Platform Lab where the group was. "Hey, guys, Megan and Dr. Brennan are on the phone."  
"What?" Colby asked, surprised. "How is that possible?"

"Yeah, you would think that the Gravedigger would've removed all means of communication from them." David said.

Don shrugged. "Dr. Hodgins, they need to talk to you."

Angela, Cam, Hodgins, Zack and Booth approached the group.

"Are they okay?" Angela wondered.

"Yeah, they're fine." Don assured her, and handed the phone to Hodgins.

"Where the hell are you guys?" Hodgins asked them.  
Brennan sighed. "Actually, we were hoping that you could tell us that."

Hodgins crinkled his nose in confusion. "How would I be able to do that?"

Megan thought for a moment. "Is there a way that you could hook the cellphone up to the computer so you could see us through a video?"  
Cam shrugged. "We could try."

* * *

A couple minutes later, everyone was gathered around the computer screen, which was blank. 

"Do you think that it's going to work?" Booth asked Cam.

She nodded. "Yeah. We've got it all set up. All Agent Reeves and Dr. Brennan have to do is set the video so it's live."

"You guys ready?" Hodgins asked Brennan and Megan.

"Yeah." Brennan pressed the record button. "Alright, it's on."

Hodgins typed in a couple of codes on the computer, and the video of Brennan and Megan appeared on the screen. "Yes! It worked!"

"Woah, you guys look like hell." David stated.

Megan groaned. "Thanks David... you're so kind."

Brennan smiled. "Okay... we only have five minutes until the recording stops, so we'll have to make this quick."

"What have you guys found out so far?" Angela asked them.

"That we're in Virginia." Megan answered, and picked up a handful of dirt.

"What should we do, Hodgins?" Brennan wondered.

Hodgins thought for a moment. "What supplies do you guys have?"

Brennan looked down. "Um, we have ballpoint pens, a laser, a-"

Hodgins interrupted her. "The laser... use that." Brennan nodded and picked up the laser. "Do you have any benzophenone?"

"Huh?" Don, Colby, Megan and David asked in unison.

"Benzophenone... it comes from some soaps, plastic packaging, sunscreen... but we don't have any of that." Brennan's eyes lit up. "The perfume."

Don's eyes widened. "You mean the perfume that I gave her? That was three grand, no way!"

Brennan sighed. "I will pay for it when we get out of here, but I need the perfume, Agent Eppes."

"I'll pay for some of it." Megan said.

Brennan shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary... I have enough money to pay for it."

"There's something you don't know about me, Dr. Brennan... I'm rich." Megan confessed.

"Me too." Brennan agreed.

Megan shook her head, smiling. "No... no. You're... well off. My family owns The Cantilever Group... I'm the soul heir."

Brennan's eyebrows rose. "Okay, then I will split it with you." Dumping the perfume into the dirt, she mixed it around with her finger, and raised it up to her nose. "It smells nice."

"Okay... you might need to use your phone for this, because we're going to need a camera-" Hodgins was interrupted.

"I have a camera." Brennan gestured for Megan to grab the camera, and Megan picked it up.

Hodgins nodded. "Alright, this is going to be a little tricky. I'm going to need you guys to hold the camera up so I can try and examine the dirt through the lense."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Cam asked him.

Hodgins sighed. "I don't know."

* * *

Thomas Vega, Booth and Don sat in Booth's office. 

"There's no negotiating with The Gravedigger." Thomas told them.

"You've been through this what... ah... five times with this guy-" Booth was interrupted by Thomas.

"Exactly." He sighed. "So I know him, and he does not negotiate."

Booth scoffed. "Oh, what? What, no... chat room action with him?"

"Are you nuts? I hate the son of a bitch." Thomas exclaimed.

"Why?" Don asked. "He's made you rich."

Vegas glared at them. "You know what? You guys just need to deal with the facts. If you can't put the ransom together in the time he gave you, your partners are dead."

Booth sighed. "I think we're done here."

Just as Booth was about to leave the office, Don grabbed Thomas, and threw him down on the table.

"Here's the deal, alright?" Don's eyes held fury in them, and Booth just stood there, surprised. "You have a relationship with this guy, what they call symbiotic. You benefit from each other. So know this... that deadline comes around, and my partner is still underground, I will end you. You understand?"  
Booth nodded. "He's definitely not kidding about that."

Thomas nodded faintly, and Don kept glaring at him. "Yeah?" He released Thomas, allowing him to get off of the table. "Three hours to live... you better hurry."

* * *

Sry that I haven't updated in a LONG time! Been busy! Please R&R! I hope that its not


	7. Chapter 7

_"Where the hell are you guys?" Hodgins asked them.  
Brennan sighed. "Actually, we were hoping that you could tell us that."_

_Hodgins crinkled his nose in confusion. "How would I be able to do that?"_

_Megan thought for a moment. "Is there a way that you could hook the cellphone up to the computer so you could see us through a video?"  
Cam shrugged. "We could try."_

* * *

_A couple minutes later, everyone was gathered around the computer screen, which was blank. _

_"Do you think that it's going to work?" Booth asked Cam._

_She nodded. "Yeah. We've got it all set up. All Agent Reeves and Dr. Brennan have to do is set the video so it's live."_

_"You guys ready?" Hodgins asked Brennan and Megan._

_"Yeah." Brennan pressed the record button. "Alright, it's on."_

* * *

_"There's something you don't know about me, Dr. Brennan... I'm rich." Megan confessed._

_"Me too." Brennan agreed._

_Megan shook her head, smiling. "No... no. You're... well off. My family owns The Cantilever Group... I'm the soul heir."_

_Hodgins nodded. "Alright, this is going to be a little tricky. I'm going to need you guys to hold the camera up so I can try and examine the dirt through the lense." _

_"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Cam asked him._

_Hodgins sighed. "I don't know."_

* * *

_"Here's the deal, alright?" Don's eyes held fury in them, and Booth just stood there, surprised. "You have a relationship with this guy, what they call symbiotic. You benefit from each other. So know this... that deadline comes around, and my partner is still underground, I will end you. You understand?"_

_Booth nodded. "He's definitely not kidding about that."_

_Thomas nodded faintly, and Don kept glaring at him. "Yeah?" He released Thomas, allowing him to get off of the table. "Three hours to live... you better hurry."_

* * *

Don and Booth returned to the lab where everyone was still sitting around the computer screen. 

"Did you find out where they are?" Booth asked Hodgins, who shook his head.

"No." Hodgins sighed. "We're still trying to figure it out. I can't see clearly through the camera lense."

Brennan suddenly remembered the item that was found in Megan's leg and grabbed her book. "Hodgins, we found something." Flipping through the pages, she found the exact page that held the tiny item and held it up for them to see. "We found it in Megan's leg."

"Interesting." Hodgins squinted to get a better look at the item. "I believe that it's anodized plastic film... it's coated metallic tape with dried out adhesive."

"What does that mean?" David asked him. He was really getting tired of not understanding what they were saying. They were like Charlie, but five times worse.

Hodgins glanced over at David. "It's a bumper sticker."

"So, what, do you mean like, 'If you can read this, you're too close?'?" Colby wondered.

Hodgins chuckled and shook his head. "No... like a prepaid toll road pass."

Megan raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you saying that someone ran me down with a car?"

Cam nodded. "Yeah."

Megan frowned. "Wow... that's just... annoying."

Suddenly, static began pouring through the computer's speakers, and the screen began to fuzz up.

"What's going on?" Angela wondered.

"Shit, we're losing signal." Don cursed, and ran a hand through his hair. "We're going to lose them soon."

"Alright, alright." Hodgins began typing like crazy. "I'll try to keep the signal.

Brennan looked at Megan with a confused face. "What's going on? What are they talking about?"

"My phone must be running out of signal down here." Megan said, and glanced at her phone. "Or, you know, my phone is just running out of battery.

"How are we going to get out of here if we can't talk to them anymore?" Brennan asked Megan, who shrugged. Brennan looked back at the phone. "Booth, can you hear me?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah, Bones. What's up?"

Brennan sighed. "We're losing battery, and-" Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard, and the computer screen went blank.

"God damn it!" Booth said, and slammed his hand on the table. "We lost them."

* * *

Megan looked at her phone and noticed that she no longer had service. "Shit, we don't have any more service." 

"What was Hodgins trying to look at through the camera?" Brennan asked herself, and glanced at the dirt covered in perfume that was still in her hand. "Megan, can you hold the camera up so I can look through it?"

Megan nodded and placed the camera up to Brennan's face so she could peer through. "Do you see anything?"

Brennan sighed in defeat. "No, I-" She suddenly paused. "Wait... I know where we are."

"Well, how are we going to tell everybody? We don't have anymore service."

Running a hand through her short brown hair, Brennan thought for a moment. "Maybe there's a way where we could wire the phone's circuits to the car's horn, and send a short message through texting."

"Um... do you think that would work?" Megan wondered.

"I'm not positive that it will, but it's the only chance that we have." Brennan said.

* * *

"Okay, you ready?" Brennan asked Megan, who nodded. "Alright... you have four to six seconds to enter a message and hit speed dial." 

Megan nodded. "But what am I supposed to type?"

"Here, I'll write it down." Brennan grabbed a pen and wrote it on the car seat so Megan could see it clearly.

After scanning the numbers a couple of times, Megan nodded. "Okay... I'm ready."

Brennan placed her hands on the wheel. "So, how's your text messaging?"

Megan chuckled. "Thumbs like lightning... trust me, I can do it."

"Okay." Taking a deep breath, Brennan handed Megan the cellphone. "You ready?"

"Yeah." Megan grasped the phone tightly. "I'm ready." Brennan placed her hands on the wheel, the horn blaring loudly. Megan entered the message quickly, and a couple seconds later, the phone suddenly began to spark, causing Megan to let the phone go. "Holy shit."

Brennan stared at the phone. "Did it go?"

"I think it went." Megan said quietly.

Brennan nodded. "Me too."

* * *

Don sat in the conference room, his head in his hands. _How the hell are we supposed to find them now?_

A shrill ring cut the silence, and Don looked up to see his phone lighting up on the table. Picking it up, he flipped it open to see a text message from Megan.

Don blinked to make sure he was seeing what was on the screen. "Wh... what? How is this possible?"

* * *

"Does this mean anything to anybody?" Don asked the group. 

He was now standing on the Medico Platform with the rest of the group. On the computer screen, the numbers 6, 7, 16 and M1.4 were displayed on the screen.

Cam thought for a moment. "They're getting low on oxygen."

"Hypoxia leads to mental confusion." Zack told the others, but by the looks that they gave him, he knew that he was wrong.

Booth shook his head. "It's Bones... it has to mean something."

"Well, did you try just dialing the number? It could be-" David began, but got interrupted.

"I tried all of the dumb guy, normal stuff!" Don shouted, getting angry. "Okay? That's why Agent Booth and I are here talking to all of you guys!"

Angela sighed, getting frustrated. "Well, it has to mean something."

"Yes, thank you, Angela, we get that!" Booth yelled. "This is why we're talking to the Brain Trust! All right, think, eggheads! Work it!"

"Booth!" Cam scolded him. "They're not cops, lay off!"

Colby groaned. "We're running out of time."

Zack glanced at the screen. "Minor correction... Dr. Brennan and Agent Reeves run out of air in... four seconds." Watching the screen, he watched the clock count down to zero. "They're dead... we're out of time."

* * *

TBC. Please R&R, and please view my poll! I hope you guys liked this chapter. Hope you guys had a happy New Year!!! 


	8. Chapter 8

_Suddenly, static began pouring through the computer's speakers, and the screen began to fuzz up. _

_"What's going on?" Angela wondered. _

_"Shit, we're losing signal." Don cursed, and ran a hand through his hair. "We're going to lose them soon."_

* * *

_"How are we going to get out of here if we can't talk to them anymore?" Brennan asked Megan, who shrugged. Brennan looked back at the phone. "Booth, can you hear me?"_

_Booth nodded. "Yeah, Bones. What's up?"_

_Brennan sighed. "We're losing battery, and-" Suddenly, a beeping sound was heard, and the computer screen went blank._

_"God damn it!" Booth said, and slammed his hand on the table. "We lost them."_

* * *

_Megan nodded and placed the camera up to Brennan's face so she could peer through. "Do you see anything?"_

_Brennan sighed in defeat. "No, I-" She suddenly paused. "Wait... I know where we are."_

* * *

_"Yeah." Megan grasped the phone tightly. "I'm ready." Brennan placed her hands on the wheel, the horn blaring loudly. Megan entered the message quickly, and a couple seconds later, the phone suddenly began to spark, causing Megan to let the phone go. "Holy shit."_

_Brennan stared at the phone. "Did it go?"_

_"I think it went." Megan said quietly._

_Brennan nodded. "Me too."_

* * *

_A shrill ring cut the silence, and Don looked up to see his phone lighting up on the table. Picking it up, he flipped it open to see a text message from Megan. _

_Don blinked to make sure he was seeing what was on the screen. "Wh... what? How is this possible?"_

* * *

_Colby groaned. "We're running out of time." _

_Zack glanced at the screen. "Minor correction... Dr. Brennan and Agent Reeves run out of air in... four seconds." Watching the screen, he watched the clock count down to zero. "They're dead... we're out of time."_

* * *

Megan and Brennan sat in the back of the car, both of them looking completely exhausted. 

Brennan held a pocket knife in her hand, the same thing that she used on Megan's leg. "Do you think that this will work?"

"Yeah." Megan sighed. "It may not give us that much time, though."

Nodding, Brennan stabbed the knife into the back seat and it went into the trunk, puncturing one of the tires. Both of the women placed their heads near the hole, taking a deep breath of the fresh air that filled their lungs.

"Okay... there are four extra tires, but we won't be able to get to any of them." Brennan said.

Megan nodded. "Is there anything else?" Brennan shrugged. "If the ransom was paid, we'd definitely be out by now. Why prolong the inevitable?"

"Booth will find us." Brennan said to Megan.

Megan smiled. "You have a lot of faith in Booth, don't you."

Brennan shook her head. "No... faith is an irrational belief in something that is logically impossible." Megan nodded. "Overtime, I've seen what Booth can do. It's not faith."

Megan chuckled a bit. "No offense... and I'm not just saying this because you filleted me with a knife." Brennan grinned. "We're out of air. We don't know if the message we sent got out, much less if anyone understood it, and we're buried underground. What you have is faith, Dr. Brennan."

Sighing, Brennan placed the knife in the front seat. "We shouldn't talk right now... to conserve air."

Megan suddenly got up and stepped into the front seat. "I need those camera batteries."

Brennan looked confused. "For what?"

Grabbing the preservative powder from the kit in the front seat, Megan went back to the back seat and Brennan handed her the camera batteries. "I've got an idea."

Examining the items, Brennan raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Soda ash and lithium... you're going to make a carbon dioxide scrubber?"

"If you can perform surgery out of thin air, Dr. Brennan, then I think I can pull a little thin air out of thin air." Megan placed the items down on the seat and began opening them up.

After a couple of minutes, Megan held the mixture that created up for Brennan to see, and Brennan could make out little puffs of foam coming from it. "Amazing... you created oxegyn. I have to admit, Agent Reeves, I'm very impressed."

"I'm not as dumb as people may think." Megan placed the mixture back down. "I learned it from Charlie after I was kidnapped."

Brennan looked surprised. "You were kidnapped?"

"Yeah." Megan fiddled with her hair. "I was held hostage by one of our suspects, and Charlie just wanted to show me how I could survive next time I get in trouble or something."

"Wow, this Charlie must be very smart." Brennan said to Megan.

Grinning, Megan nodded. "Yeah, well, that's Charlie for you."

"So how much time do you think that this little creation of yours will give us?" Brennan asked Megan.

Megan's face turned from a bright smile to a grim look. "Not much, Dr. Brennan... not much."

* * *

Cam walked up to the Medico Platform, where everyone was, still trying to figure out the text. "Okay, Zack figured out what stun gun The Gravedigger uses and how it's modified." 

Zack soon appeared behind Cam and smiled. "And, thanks to Angela, we know that The Gravedigger has a customized aluminum casing in the back of his vehicle-"

Booth groaned. "I have about a hundred agents working that angle. What does this mean, right here?!" Booth tapped the computer monitor forcefully. "What does that mean?"

"You're forgetting something, though." Hodgins interrupted. "Brennan and Megan are out of air."

"Great." Booth said sarcastically. "You want to give up, huh? This is Bones we're talking about, Hodgins. You really think that she didn't find a way to extend their air supply?!"

Don nodded. "If she can do that, then she obviously found a way to send us a message to ask us for help."

Colby sighed. "Don, we just don't think that it's likely that-"

Don groaned in frustration. "Listen, Colby, if they found a way to send us a message to ask for help, then they're not willing to give up... and neither should we. But for some reason, all of you guys just listen to the little ticking clock up on the screen and when it hits zero, you immediately give up."

"We're not giving up... not yet." Cam said.

* * *

Back in the car, Megan and Brennan sat in the same position as last time. Next to Megan were the empty batteries and an empty carton of the lithium that Megan used earlier. 

"Okay, that gives us just long enough." Brennan said and moved to the front seat.

Megan looked at her suspiciously. "Long enough for what?"

"My next idea." Brennan looked back at Megan. "Which may kill us... airbags."

Megan almost laughed. "You do know that airbags aren't actually bags of air-"

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking to extend our survival underground, I'm looking for a way to blow our way out of here."

Megan nodded in understandment. "Do you mean using the explosives from the airbags?" Brennan nodded. "Yeah... that could definitely kill us."

Brennan went to work on the airbags. "So will doing nothing."

Megan's eyes held fear in them, but she immediately brushed the strong feeling away and grabbed the book lying on the floor. Ripping a page out, Megan picked a pen up as well. "Anyone you want to say goodbye to?"

* * *

I hope that you guys like the story so far, and I hope its not TOO much like the original. Please R&R! 


	9. Chapter 9

_Brennan held a pocket knife in her hand, the same thing that she used on Megan's leg. "Do you think that this will work?"_

_"Yeah." Megan sighed. "It may not give us that much time, though."_

_Nodding, Brennan stabbed the knife into the back seat and it went into the trunk, puncturing one of the tires. Both of the women placed their heads near the hole, taking a deep breath of the fresh air that filled their lungs._

* * *

_"If you can perform surgery out of thin air, Dr. Brennan, then I think I can pull a little thin air out of thin air." Megan placed the items down on the seat and began opening them up. _

_After a couple of minutes, Megan held the mixture that created up for Brennan to see, and Brennan could make out little puffs of foam coming from it. "Amazing... you created oxygen. I have to admit, Agent Reeves, I'm very impressed." _

_"So how much time do you think that this little creation of yours will give us?" Brennan asked Megan._

_Megan's face turned from a bright smile to a grim look. "Not much, Dr. Brennan... not much."_

* * *

_"You're forgetting something, though." Hodgins interrupted. "Brennan and Megan are out of air." _

_"Great." Booth said sarcastically. "You want to give up, huh? This is Bones we're talking about, Hodgins. You really think that she didn't find a way to extend their air supply?!"_

* * *

_"Okay, that gives us just long enough." Brennan said and moved to the front seat. _

_Megan looked at her suspiciously. "Long enough for what?"_

_"My next idea." Brennan looked back at Megan. "Which may kill us... airbags."_

_Megan almost laughed. "You do know that airbags aren't actually bags of air-" _

_Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm not looking to extend our survival underground, I'm looking for a way to blow our way out of here." _

_Megan nodded in understandment. "Do you mean using the explosives from the airbags?" Brennan nodded. "Yeah... that could definitely kill us." _

_Brennan went to work on the airbags. "So will doing nothing." _

_Megan's eyes held fear in them, but she immediately brushed the strong feeling away and grabbed the book lying on the floor. Ripping a page out, Megan picked a pen up as well. "Anyone you want to say goodbye to?"_

* * *

Brennan stared at Megan for a moment before taking the pen and paper from Megan's hands.

Megan watched her as she wrote. "I know that it's probably none of my business, but... who are you writing to?"

Brennan stopped writing for a moment and looked up. "My father." Brennan sighed. "He and I... we don't have a very good relationship."

"I can definitely relate to that." Megan said.

"He abandoned my brother and I when we were just kids." Brennan told Megan. "We've seen each other since, but... it's just so hard to talk to him."

Megan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I recently went to visit my dad in New York... I have't seen him in about twelve years, so it was a bit hard for me to go back."

"Why though? Why did you go back?" Brennan wondered.

Megan looked down. "We... were working on a case, and I guess... I guess that I just saw a little bit of myself in the girl. She and her father didn't have a good relationship either." Megan took a deep breath before continuing. "When I went back to New York, it took me a while to go and actually visit him."

"Well, at least you had the guts." Brennan said. "I would have chickened out."

Megan chuckled a little. "Let's just say that it went a little better than expected. I still don't forgive him for what he did, but after the visit... I didn't feel as much hate as I did towards him."

"May I ask what he did?" Brennan asked Megan quietly, hoping not to invade Megan's personal privacy.

But what did it matter? They were buried alive. They need something to pass the time by.

"When I was in high school, he and I were always fighting. I would want to do things like sports and hang out with the guys, while my dad wanted me to do all of the stuff that regular girls do, you know? Go get your nails done, have sleepovers, go shopping. I just wasn't into that kind of stuff."

Brennan nodded. "So he was angry that you weren't... being a girl?"

"Exactly. I was just a tomboy, I guess. So then, one night, me and him were arguing again, but this time he... he just got so angry at me that he slapped me." Megan sighed. "I was just so scared at the time, and I didn't know what to do. So I ran away."

"How long did it take for you to go back home?" Brennan asked her, but by the look in Megan's eyes, she immediately knew. "You never went back, did you."

Megan shook her head. "No... I didn't want to go back and face him."

Brennan stared at the piece of paper, and Megan could see doubt in her eyes. "Do you think that I should-"

"Yes." Megan immediately said. "Don't do what I did... don't wait until the last minute... because if you wait any longer, you may no longer have the chance."

* * *

Still standing on the platform, Don, Booth and the others were still staring at the set of letters and numbers on the screen.

"Well, it's definitely not a numerical alphabetical code or an equation." Zack announced.

"Don, maybe we should call Charlie and see if he could help us with this." David suggested.

Don nodded. "Okay... get him on the phone, and then see if we can set up a video session with him."

"I'm on it." David said and whipped out his cellphone.  
"It's not a code or an acronym either." Hodgins said, still staring at the screen.

David walked over to Don and handed him the phone. "It's Charlie, Don."

Don took the phone from David's hand and put it up to his ear. "Hey Charlie, we need your help."

* * *

Charlie sat in his office, working on his computer, when Amita walked in. "Hey Charlie."

Looking up, Charlie smiled. "Hey."

"What are you doing?" Amita asked him, glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm just working on an algorithm for my next class." Charlie told her. His phone began to ring, and he picked it up. "Charlie Eppes."

"Hey Charlie, it's David." He said.

Charlie smiled and put it on speaker. "Hey, David, how's D.C.?"

David sighed. "It's not going so well. Megan's been buried alive underground along with Dr. Brennan."

"Oh my god." Amita gasped. "Are they okay?"

"We're not really sure. We've been trying to decode this message that they sent us." David explained. "But we haven't had any luck so far."

"Alright... can I talk to Don?" Charlie asked David.

David handed the phone over to Don, and Charlie could hear the faint voices of the other people in the room. "It's Charlie, Don."

Charlie could hear the phone being handed over to Don. "Hey Charlie, we need your help... do you think that you could do a video session with us?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Okay, hang on." Don said.

Bringing the phone over to the computer, Don turned over to Hodgins. "Do you know how to set this up for a video session?"

Hodgins nodded. "Yeah, sure." Taking the phone from Don, he plugged it in. "There you go."

Charlie's face immediately appeared on the screen with Amita in the background. "Hey Don."

"Hey Charlie." Bringing the screen with the message up, he showed it to Charlie. "Do you know what this means?"

Charlie looked at it for a couple of moments. "I'm not really sure. But I can scan it through my computer."

Don nodded. "Alright, call me back if you find anything." Hanging up the phone, the video session immediately shut off. "Alright... have we found anything else?"

Angela sighed. "Well, it's not GPS coordinates or indications of topography."

Booth groaned in frustration. "Great. Then what is it? Is it really that-"

"Can I make a suggestion?" Cam asked them. "See, this is exactly why I was sent here. You guys are brilliant, but you won't make intuitive leaps." Zack looked at her like she was crazy, and she sighed. "Jump to conclusions, Zack."

"Oh." Zack said, finally understanding.

Cam nodded. "That's exactly what I mean." She walked over to where the message was and she pointed at it. "This is a message from one of them to one of us... specific, focused. Who was it meant to get to?"

"Easy. Brennan's cell to mine, right? The message was for me. We have an understanding, we work together." Booth immediately said.

Angela gave him a look. "We all work together, smartass." Booth looked at her, surprised. She has never said anything like that to him. But then again, everyone wasn't exactly watching what they were saying at a time like this. "She's my best friend. And Hodgins... he's... Hodgins-"

"She's right." Cam agreed. "We should assume the message is for Hodgins."

"Why?" Colby asked.

"Because they're buried alive." Cam began.

Angela nodded, finally getting what Cam was saying. "And Hodgins is all about dirt."

Don ran his fingers through his dark locks. "Okay, great. The message is about dirt. What else would that tel us?"

Zack thought for a moment. "Well, since it was sent to Hodgins, and he's all about dirt, it could be a location."

Colby and David raised their eyebrows in amusement, wondering how they all figured it out that fast. Normally, it would have taken the FBI days to do what they did in literally five minutes.

Before anyone else could speak, Thomas and Janine appeared outside the platform. "Agent Booth."

Booth turned to look at them. "What, Vega?"

"Janine used all her contacts to get me on all the local news shows. Now, I explained that we needed more time... I asked him to call. I'm sorry, but he's completely consistent." Thomas explained, hoping that Booth wouldn't get angry.

A shrill ring cut through the tense silence, and Don clicked a button on his phone, bring Charlie's face up onto the screen. "I've got it, Don!"

Everyone turned to look at the computer screen, immediately eager to hear what he had to say.

"Alright... 6, 7, 16. Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulfur on the periodic table of elements. They are buried in coal rich soil." Charlie explained, and he typed a few things into the computer, bringing a picture of a map up onto Don's computer screen.

Don sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "You have to narrow it down, Charlie... we're counting on you."

Booth walked over to look at the map. "Alright... keep going."

"Umm... mineral components of coal are all the same. It's the organic components that provide a unique fingerprint." Charlie said, and the map began to zoom in, getting to a certain location. "They are called mascerals... they fluoresce at different levels. A reflectance of 1.4 is quite rare, suggesting a high concentration of inertinite."

Don looked at the screen, confusion written all over his face. "What does that mean? Charlie, tell me what that means."

David grinned. "It means he knows where they are."

"Charlie..." Don began, not so sure, looking at Charlie for assurance.

The map zoomed in for the last time, pin pointing a specific spot on the map, and Charlie smiled. "I know where they are."

* * *

I hope that you guys like this chapter! I know that In the real story, Zack was the one that found them, but I wanted to include Charlie in the story and this was the only way that I could do that. Please R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

_"When I was in high school, he and I were always fighting. I would want to do things like sports and hang out with the guys, while my dad wanted me to do all of the stuff that regular girls do, you know? Go get your nails done, have sleepovers, go shopping. I just wasn't into that kind of stuff."_

_Brennan nodded. "So he was angry that you weren't... being a girl?"_

_"Exactly. I was just a tomboy, I guess. So then, one night, me and him were arguing again, but this time he... he just got so angry at me that he slapped me." Megan sighed. "I was just so scared at the time, and I didn't know what to do. So I ran away."_

* * *

_Brennan stared at the piece of paper, and Megan could see doubt in her eyes. "Do you think that I should-"_

_"Yes." Megan immediately said. "Don't do what I did... don't wait until the last minute... because if you wait any longer, you may no longer have the chance."_

* * *

_David walked over to Don and handed him the phone. "It's Charlie, Don."_

_Don took the phone from David's hand and put it up to his ear. "Hey Charlie, we need your help."_

* * *

_"Alright... 6, 7, 16. Carbon, Nitrogen and Sulfur on the periodic table of elements. They are buried in coal rich soil." Charlie explained, and he typed a few things into the computer, bringing a picture of a map up onto Don's computer screen._

_Don sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "You have to narrow it down, Charlie... we're counting on you." _

_Booth walked over to look at the map. "Alright... keep going." _

_"Umm... mineral components of coal are all the same. It's the organic components that provide a unique fingerprint." Charlie said, and the map began to zoom in, getting to a certain location. "They are called mascerals... they fluoresce at different levels. A reflectance of 1.4 is quite rare, suggesting a high concentration of inertinite."_

_Don looked at the screen, confusion written all over his face. "What does that mean? Charlie, tell me what that means." _

_David grinned. "It means he knows where they are." _

_"Charlie..." Don began, not so sure, looking at Charlie for assurance. _

_The map zoomed in for the last time, pin pointing a specific spot on the map, and Charlie smiled. "I know where they are."_

* * *

Back in the car, Brennan and Megan sat in the backseat, with Brennan holding a jumper cable that's set up across the dashboard of the car.

Megan stared at the wires. She had never seen anybody come up with something like this. Well, except for Charlie, of course, but he was a math genius. Dr. Brennan was an anthropologist. "How can this thing possibly work?"

"Well, I'm not really an explosives expert, as you can tell by me being an anthropologist, but... the dash might shape the charge enough to blow out the windshield." Megan nodded, understanding what she was saying. That must have been a first for her, since all she would hear from Charlie was random babbles. "If we're less than four feet beneath the surface... this charge could blow us... to freedom."

Megan's face held a worried look. "And... what if... what if we're buried more than four feet? What will happen?"

"Let's see... how do I put this nicely." Brennan quietly asked herself. "If we're buried more than four feet, the concussion from the blast will... it will turn our brains into jelly."

"Huh." Megan scoffed. "That sure is a nice way to put it, Dr. Brennan."

Brennan stepped up into the front seat, re-wiring a couple of things before turning around to look at Megan. "We should get as far away from the explosion as possible, Agent Reeves."

"I already am, Dr. Brennan." Megan extended out her arm, holding her hand out for Brennan to grasp. "Care to join me?"

* * *

"Alright, let's move, people." Booth ordered as everybody began rummaging around. "I've got FBI cars out front waiting."

"Thanks, Charlie." Don said into the speaker so Charlie could hear him through the video. "I'll update you later."

Charlie gave his brother a warm smile, as did Amita. "Glad I could help, bro."

The screen went black. Don got up out of the seat and began making his way towards the group, which was already almost out the door. None of them were wasting time. Because any second could be their last.

* * *

Desert areas surrounded the black FBI cars that sped through the dunes, passing nearby cactuses and trees that have appeared to have been dried out for months. The cars came to a halt as a giant ditch appeared in front of them, stretching for at least three miles each way. FBI agents and the group exited their cars and stood at the edge of the hill, surveying the sandy area below. Thomas and Janine soon joined them, receiving news of their discovery minutes after they did.

Booth and Don stood side by side, scanning the area carefully, hoping to find something that could possibly lead them to the discovery of Megan and Brennan.

"Alright, they have to be here." Don said, still scanning the area back and forth.

Booth nodded in agreement with Don and began shouting orders. "Come on, people, let's get moving!"

"Look for anything... tire tracks, recent digging, mounds, depressions... anything!" Cam shouted and in seconds, FBI agents were running around, milling their way through the desert area.

Colby and David each grabbed a shovel and began making their way downhill, but not before passing Don. "We'll find them."

"Megan... where are you?" Don whispered to himself.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Brennan asked as they both sat in the backseat of the car once again.

Megan nodded, hoping to look fearless to Dr. Brennan. But all Brennan could see in her eyes was fear. Lots and lots of fear. "As ready as I'll ever be." She turned to look at Brennan. "Dr. Brennan, it has been a privilege working with you."

Megan extended her hand, hoping for Brennan to shake it. Brennan stared at it, but then looked up at Megan and embraced her tightly.

In their minds, they knew that this may be the last embrace that they share with anybody for the rest of their lives.

* * *

Minutes passed, and already many holes were scattered throughout the ditch, made from multiple agents.

"Let's go, people, pick up the pace! We're running out of time!" Booth yelled out, but his voice then grew to a whisper. "They're running out of time."

Megan grasped the note in her hand tightly, the one she had written earlier. Giving the crumpled piece of paper a quick peck, she placed it in her coat pocket and sat in the back of the car, hoping to stay as far away from the steering wheel as possible.

"You ready?" Brennan asked her.

Already Megan's breathing had become labored as fear overcame her once again. "You asked me that already... but yeah... I'm ready."

Brennan sat behind the driver's seat, but had her arms around the seat so she could reach the wires. As she grasped them tightly, Brennan began to bring the wires closer together. Megan felt like she was in slow motion. As she watched the wires near each other, panick began to fill her as memories of her life flashed through her mind. But before she could think about anything else, a loud explosion was heard, and Megan's world went black.

* * *

Don stood next to Booth once again, watching the agents digging holes again and again. A soft boom was heard and Don looked over to see a puff of smoke shooting out from the ground. As soon as he laid his eyes on it, both Don and Booth were off. As everybody watched the two head agents running towards the smoke, they immediately followed. Colby and David stopped their digging and began making their way towards the smoke, as well as Cam, Angela and Zack.

Booth and Don reached the spot in minutes and they immediately began digging with their bare hands. As Booth kept digging, he felt soft skin against his calloused hands and immediately realized that it was a hand. Grasping it tightly, Booth managed to pull the body out of the dirt and onto the ground.

It was Brennan.

Booth panicked at first, thinking that she may be dead, but his panic turned to relief when he saw her cough lightly and watch her chest silently rise and fall.

Before Booth could do anything to help Brennan, she said something, but it only came out in a hoarse whisper. "Get... Megan."

Don, David and Colby kept digging and they saw the familiar brown hair that belonged to Megan. Grabbing her upper body they pulled her out from the dirt and onto the safe ground, but fear and shock ran through their veins when they saw that she wasn't breathing.

"No." Don whispered. "No, no!"

Booth and Brennan looked over at them, wondering why Don was freaking out, and they soon realized that Megan wasn't breathing as well.

Don soon began to give CPR to Megan, with him operating alone.

"Don, why don't you let me help." Colby offered, but he immediately backed away when Don gave him a glare.

"I got this." Don told him. "I can do this."

* * *

Duh duh duhhhhhh! D

Please R&R!


	11. Chapter 11

_"If we're less than four feet beneath the surface... this charge could blow us... to freedom."_

_Megan's face held a worried look. "And... what if... what if we're buried more than four feet? What will happen?"_

_"Let's see... how do I put this nicely." Brennan quietly asked herself. "If we're buried more than four feet, the concussion from the blast will... it will turn our brains into jelly."_

* * *

_"Alright, they have to be here." Don said, still scanning the area back and forth. _

_Booth nodded in agreement with Don and began shouting orders. "Come on, people, let's get moving!"_

_"Look for anything... tire tracks, recent digging, mounds, depressions... anything!" Cam shouted and in seconds, FBI agents were running around, milling their way through the desert area._

_Colby and David each grabbed a shovel and began making their way downhill, but not before passing Don. "We'll find them."_

_"Megan... where are you?" Don whispered to himself._

* * *

_As Booth kept digging, he felt soft skin against his calloused hands and immediately realized that it was a hand. Grasping it tightly, Booth managed to pull the body out of the dirt and onto the ground. _

_It was Brennan._

* * *

_Don, David and Colby kept digging and they saw the familiar brown hair that belonged to Megan. Grabbing her upper body they pulled her out from the dirt and onto the safe ground, but fear and shock ran through their veins when they saw that she wasn't breathing._

_"No." Don whispered. "No, no!" _

_Booth and Brennan looked over at them, wondering why Don was freaking out, and they soon realized that Megan wasn't breathing as well._

_Don soon began to give CPR to Megan, with him operating alone. _

_"Don, why don't you let me help." Colby offered, but he immediately backed away when Don gave him a glare._

_"I got this." Don told him. "I can do this."_

* * *

Minutes passed, and Don's muscles were aching, but he pushed that pained feeling aside and continued to push the palms of his hands into Megan's chest while simultaneously locking his lips to hers, pushing air into her lungs. Brennan, now able to function on her own now sat next to Booth, who stared at the scene in front of him, along with everybody else.

"I need two ambulances down here!" Booth spoke into his phone and hung up, his eyes traveling back to Megan's lifeless body.

"Don..." David began, but Don wouldn't let him finish.

"I am not giving up on her!" Don yelled while still pumping Megan's chest. "I can't... I can't give up on her. She's done too much... come on, Meg." He locked lips with hers once again, then lifted his head. "Come on, you can do it."

A hand rested on Don's shoulder, and he paused for a moment before continuing with what he was doing. It was Colby. "Don."

Silent tears fell from Don's eyes and rolled down his face. His hands began to slow down as they stopped pumping Megan's chest, and his upper chest collapsed onto Megan's. His body shook with sobs as he buried his head into her chest, afraid to show is face to the others surrounding him.

Megan's lips were slowly turning a light shade of purple, and her skin began to feel like ice. Anger began to run through Don's veins as he realized that what he was doing wasn't working. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't bring Megan back.

"Megan." He whispered, and his eyes slowly opened, revealing their redness and puffiness. Salty tears were still running down his face, and they didn't seem to stop. "God damn it, Megan, why?!" His fists suddenly came down on her chest, pounding it repeatedly.

"Don!" David scolded him. "Stop it!"

Don immediately stopped, his breathing now labored. A soft cough could be heard, and everybody glanced down and gasped in shock.

Megan was alive.

Her skin began to slowly regain its warmth, and her lips were no longer tinged blue. As she coughed, specks of dust flew out of her mouth, and Don maneuvered both their bodies so her head was laying on his lap, elevating it so she could cough more easily. Megan's eyes slowly opened, and they peered up at Don, who smiled down at her. Don's hand slowly stroked her hair as his other hand cupped her cheek. "Thank god you're okay... I thought I lost you."

Angela looked down at both of them and smiled. "Aww, they're so cute. This is a total movie moment."

The ambulance sirens could be heard, and they stopped up on the ridge, unable to come down to the group.

Don's head lowered down onto Megan's, and their lips locked softly.

Colby patted David on the back with a huge grin on his face. "We did it."

"No." Everybody turned to look at Thomas, who had a disturbed look on his face. "This isn't possible."

"What are you talking about?" Cam scoffed. "We found them, thats it... what's so hard to believe about that?"

Thomas shook his head. "No one has ever survived being buried alive by the Gravedigger."

"Well guess what." Thomas turned to look at Angela. "Now someone has... I guess you're going to need to write a new book now."

"Come on, we have to get you guys to the hospital." Hodgins said, and began walking up back to the ridge, along with Zack and Angela.

Brennan and Booth stood up and Booth swooped Brennan's arm around his neck, holding her up and helping her walk. Don picked Megan up, holding her so she wouldn't have to walk.

"Are you okay?" Don asked Megan as he saw her coughing once again.

Megan nodded her head and raised her hand up to stroke Don's cheek lightly and chuckled. "You worry too much, you know that?"

* * *

Inside a dim lit church, Booth and Brennan were sitting in the first pew, the only ones in there. They heard the door creak open and Cam, Zack and Hodgins entered, walking up to them and sitting in the same pew as them.

"We knew we'd find Booth here, but we never expected you to be here, Dr. Brennan." Cam said.

Brennan shrugged. "I thought it would be nice if I gave Booth some company." She saw Booth finished praying. "What did you ask for?"

"Can't say." Booth said. "It's between me and a certain Saint."

Zack sniffed the air, and his nose crinkled up. "What's that smell?"

"The candles." Booth told him and sniffed the air as well. "Smells like Jasmine."

Hodgins scoffed. "And how would you know what Jasmine smells like?"  
"Hey, I have to make my room smell good every once in a while." Booth said. "I said thanks."

"What?" Brennan asked.

Booth looked up at the big statue of the cross sitting in the front of the church. "I said thanks to God... you should really try it sometime, Bones."

Brennan shook her head. "If I were going to pray, I would have done that just before I set off the explosion in the car."

"But you didn't?" Cam asked her.

Brennan shook her head once again. "No.. see, if there was a God, which there isn't-"

Booth clamped his hand over Brennan's mouth, silencing her. "Shh... do you see where we are, Bones?"

Brennan said something, but it sounded muffled through Booth's hand, and he removed it. "But I'm okay with thanking God for saving me and Megan."

"By the way, where is Megan?" Hodgins wondered. "When we went to visit you guys, she wasn't there... was she discharged?"

"Nope." Brennan told them. "She left."

"And you let her?" Cam asked her in disbelief.

Brennan nodded. "Yeah... I trusted her... I knew that she wasn't going to do anything bad."

"What did you thank God for, Booth?" Zack asked him.

"For saving-" Booth was cut off.  
"Dr. Brennan and Agent Reeves." Zack said, but frowned when he saw Booth's face.

Booth shook his head. "No... not just them, but all of us. Every single one of us. If you took one of us away, we wouldn't have been able to find Megan and Bones. And I'm very thankful for that."

Brennan smiled. "I knew that you guys wouldn't give up."

* * *

Don walked into his hotel room. Colby and David had a different room next to them, leaving Don with Megan in their hotel room. Don could see a single light on in the back of the room. Walking into the room he shrugged off his jacket and shut the door, kicking off his shoes. Walking farther into the room, Don saw that it was Megan who was sitting in the back of the room with her glasses on and her hair pulled back in a clip. FBI files were piled out in front of her as she scanned them again and again.

"I went to visit you at the hospital... you weren't there." Don told her as he walked up to her, sitting down in the chair next to her,

Megan kept staring at the files, not even looking at Don. "They... they let me go home."

Don shook his head. "No they didn't, Megan. You left the hospital without being discharged by the doctor."

Don could tell that Megan was not ready to go home. Her body was tense and stiff, bruises were covering her body as well as cuts, and her leg was wrapped in a cast. "They pumped me full with gallons of antibiotics, stitched my leg and cuts up and gave me tons of painkillers... I think I was ready to go."

She still wouldn't look at him, and Don was getting annoyed. "Could you please look at me?" Megan slowly glanced over at him, her eyes watering. "You need to rest. You were buried alive and you were operated on without an anesthetic... and you were pumped full of god knows what drugs. You should be laying down in bed." He laid his hand down on hers. "You don't have to be strong, Megan. You don't have to hold this... barrier up. You don't have stay strong forever. It's okay to just... let it out."

"He's-" Her voice began to break. "He's out there, Don... I can't let him bury anymore people. I-I have to catch him. Plus, the... the bit of-of bumper sticker thing that Dr. Brennan found in my.. my leg-"

"We're going to catch him." Don interrupted her. "We are going to find him and make him pay for what he did to you. I promise you, okay? We'll start tomorrow, everyone. You just need to rest."

Megan shook her head, silent tears falling down from her face and she mumbled, "I can't sleep."

Don looked at her, confused. "I thought that they gave you pills for that."

"No, no... I mean... I'm afraid." Megan confessed. "I'm afraid that when... when I close my eyes and open them, I'll be back in that car, buried. Buried alive and running out of air."

"Well, everything will be different this time." Don told her.

Megan glanced up at him. "What do you mean?"

Don took the glasses off of her face and removed the clip from her hair, letting it fall down over her shoulders. "When you open your eyes... I'll be there."

* * *

Please R&R! That may be my final chapter, but I may make one more chapter of Don and the others leaving and stuff and I may do a sequel of them trying to capture the Gravedigger. Please review and tell me if I should or not! And please tell me what you thought of this story!


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